“Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what’s not working.” (11)

“The way to grow your business is to focus entirely on your existing customers. Just thrill them, and they’ll tell everyone.” (17)

“Watch out when anyone (including you) says he wants to do something big, but can’t until he raises money. It usually means the person is more in love with the idea of being big-big-big than with actually doing something useful. For an idea to get big-big-big, it has to be useful. And being useful doesn’t need funding.” (18)

“Never forget that there are thousands of businesses, like Jim’s Fish Bait Shop in a shack on a beach somewhere, that are doing just fine without corporate formalities.” (23)

“As your business grows, don’t let the leeches sucker you into all that stuff they pretend you need. They’ll play on your fears, saying that you need this stuff to protect yourself against lawsuits. They’ll scare you with horrible worst-case scenarios. But those are just sales tactics. You don’t need any of it.” (23)

“When you build your business on serving thousands of customers, no dozens, you don’t have to worry about any one customer leaving or making special demands.” (25)

“Have the confidence to know that when your target 1 percent hears you excluding the other 99 percent, the people in that 1 percent will come to you because you’ve shown how much you value them.” (27)

“No business goes as planned, so make ten radically different plans.” (30)

“Never forget why you’re really doing what you’re doing. Are you helping people? Are they happy? Are you happy? Are you profitable? Isn’t that enough?” (35)

“Your company should be willing to die for your customers. That’s the Tao of business. Care about your customers more than about yourself, and you’ll do well.” (39)

“It’s another Tao of business: Set up your business like you don’t need the money, and it’ll likely come your way.” (40)

“Even if you want to be big someday, remember that you never need to act like a big boring company.” (51)

“In the end, it’s about what you want to be, not what you want to have. To have something (a finished recording, a business, or millions of dollars) is the means, not the end. To be something (a good singer, a skilled entrepreneur, or just plain happy) is the real point. When you sign up to run a marathon, you don’t want a taxi to take you to the finish line.” (59)

“Being self-employed feels like freedom until you realize that if you take time off, your business crumbles. To be a true business owner, make it so that you could leave for a year, and when you came back, your business would be doing better than when you left.” (71)

“Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller were at a party at a billionaire’s extravagant estate. Kurt said, “Wow! Look at this place! This guy has everything!” Joseph said, “Yes, but I have something he’ll never have… Enough.”” (81)